Sampling device for artesian wells.



W. I. BETTfs.

SAMPLING DEVICE POR ARTESIAN WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 11, 1911.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

/w .a it/.V /y/ NITE@ STA@ PAINT @FFIQ WILLIAM I. IBETTIS, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF TO JOHN G. GRAY, 0F VINTON, LOUISIANA.

SAMPLING DEVICE FOR ARTESIAN I'ELLS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, i912.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM I. BETTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Houston, in the county `of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sampling Devices for Artesian Wells, of which the following is a specification.

One of the most common ways of forming oil wells is to drill a hole verticallyin the ground by means of a drill or cutting tool detachably connected with the lower endof a pipe section which is rotated as it descends, and to which other sections are added as the depth of the well increases. `l/Vater, or water and mud known as slush, is forced down through the pipe emerging at the lower end thereof through the cutter and rising with the cuttings to the top of the ground where lit is carried oi". Of course it is desirable to stop the drilling operation when oil is reached and no reliable means, so far as I am aware, has heretofore been devised for this purpose. Usually the water, mud'and sand as they emerge from the well are examined toobtain this information, but as sometimes the well is very deep, two thousand feet or more, it will be readily understood that this practice is not always reliable. Oft-en the oil sands are passed by and the drilling continued through unproductive strata.

According to my invention I provide a sampling device which is connected to the lower end of the drill pipe after the well has been sunk to some extent and when the behayior of the apparatus or the appearance of the emerging slush indicates a possibility of success. This device is so constructed that it may readily attached to the drill pipe by the same collar that is used to connect the drilling tool to the pipe and it replaces the tool during the sampling operation.

The device comprises a tubular upper part threaded `to connect with the drill collar and which. opens into the drill pipe and a lower tubular part which receives the sample. 4The upper is separated from the lower part either by a plug, partition or valve but has one or more openings in its side which provide a communication between the interior of the drill pipe and the surrounding well. rEhe lower part of the device is formed at 'its lower end with a cutting edge to enable to easily penetrate the earth and it has one or more openings at its upper end to permit water or slush to pass out through it. Preferably devices, such as spring fingers, are arranged at the lower end of the sampling tube to assist in holding the sample in 1place'when being withdrawn from the we In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a well-drilling apparatus of ordinary construction and also illustrates a well formed by such apparatus, the drilling tool being attached. Fig-2 is a similar viewwith the drilling tool replaced by my sampling device. Fig. 3 shows a verticalA central section on an enlarged scale of a sampling device constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 4c is a similar View of a part of t-he sampling device embodying a modified form of my invention. Fig. 5 shows a further modification. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the spring iingers shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. l I have shown a well-drilling apparatus of well known construction. A. indicates the drill pipe made in sections, as usual, connected by collars a. B indicates the hole or well surrounding the drill pipe. C indicates the drilling tool. Water or slush applied by the hose D is forced into and down through the drill' pipe and the water or slush which rises in the well is carried ott through the pipe E. F indicates a casing, such as is usually employed, near the top of the Well. G .indicates the collar which detachably connects the drill tool with the drill pipe. This apparatus is operated in the usual way to form the well and when it is desired to take a sample of the earth at the bottom of the well, the drill pipe is withdrawn and the drill tool removed and replaced by my sampling device, several forms of which are shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

The preferred construction is shown in Fig. 3 and the device there illustrated comprises an upper part or section H which is tubular and is formed with a threaded Vupper endadapted to be connected with the lower end of the drill pipe by means of the drill collar G. Near its lower end the part II is formed with one or more lateral openings '7L which are for the purpose of allowing water vor slush to enter the drill pipe when the latter is descending and permit tie water or slush to pass out from the pipe and 6.

when the latter is being raised. In this way the level of the liquid in the well is no't materially disturbed. This is of importance as' d, the lower end of which is formed or pro vided with a cutting edge Near its upper end the tube J is provided with one or moreopenings j to allow the liquid which fills it While being lowered'to pass out and give way to the solid material which it receives when it is forced into the ground below the bottom of the well previously drilled, as shown in Fig. 2, thus obtaining a sample not mixed with mud.

I have found in actual practice that-samples of sand can be obtained at any desired depth by the device thus far described, but in order to assist in holding thesample in place I may employ spring lingers K constructed and arranged as shown in Figs. 3

In Fig. 4 I have which a valve L is arranged in the tube J below the openings j to prevent liquid which might enter the tube through the openings j from pressing" on the top of the sample.

In Fig. 5 a further modification is shown in which the top of the sampling tube is made to communicate with the bot-tom of the section H instead of with the surrounding well. In this case a valve M opening upward is interposed between the parts II and d. This device is the same in principle as that shown in Fig. 3. When it is lowered in the well water or slush enters through the holes h and fills the line of drill pi es, while the liquid also fills the sampling tube. When, however, the sampling tube is driven into the ground in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the liquid in the tube is displaced by the sand or earth, the valve ll/I rising to allow the liquid to pass out to the well or to the section II. When the sample is raised with the pipe line the liquid ows out from the 4pipes through the holes and no liquid can ass into the sampling tube from above;

hile this sampling device is especially. intended for use in drilling oil wells, it may shown a modification in' inaaoie va drill pipe and having one or more lateral openings to connect with the well, and a* lower sect-ion or sampling tube having a lower cutting edge and an opening at the top for the passage Iof liquid outwardly from the` sampling tube as the sample rises in the tube.

. 2.v rIhe combination with a drill pipe,`of

a sampling device, comprising lan upper tubular section attached to the bottom of the drill pipe and. having one or more ylateral openings for the passage of liquid into and out of the pipe, and a lower section or sampling tube connected with said upper section having a lower cutting edge and one or more lateral openings at the top communieating with the well.

3. A lsampler for Artesian and Y other wells, comprising an Vupper tubular section adapted to be connected to the lower end of a drill pipe and having one or more lateral openings to connect with the Well, and a lower section or sampling tube having a lower cutting edge and one or more openings at the top for the passage ot liquid outwardly as the sample rises in the tube, and devices at the lower end of the sampling tube for assisting in holding the sample in the tube.

4. A sampling device for wells, comprising an upper tubular section adapted to be connected to the lower end of the drill pipe and having one or more lateral openings vto connectI with a well and a lower section or sampling tube having a lower cutting edge and one or more openings at the top lor the passage of liquid outwardly as the sample rises in the tube, and a valve in the upper part of said sampling'tube for preventing the passage ot liquid downwardly into thesubscribed by name.

WILLIAM I. BE'ITIS.

Witnesses:

I Loim B. Wiener, E. il vri LL. 

